Chiefs coach Warren Gatland believes his side is ready to build on the start it made to the season and make an impact in the revised Super Rugby Aotearoa competition which kicks off next weekend.
Gatland said while the Chiefs hadn't started well in the regular Super Rugby season, they had shown some good resolve to finish strongly in games and had never given up.
"I was pleased with the way we were tracking and out of all the squads we had rotated the most so I was really happy that a lot of players had had a lot of game time," he said.
"We were at that stage where we were ramping up to that next level of intensity in the way we trained and were preparing for games. I was pleased with the start. It's an incredibly tough competition to play, it's difficult to go through undefeated for any team.
"The secret is trying to win as many away games as you can in any competition and if you can do that, you've got a good chance of winning something so we felt we made a reasonable start and we're pretty excited about getting back into rugby and having a chance in this Super Rugby Aotearoa."
He said he was thankful to have timed his run well, in retrospect, to come home to New Zealand from his 13 years in Wales as he had some friends who had suffered Covid-19.
"We've very lucky to be back in New Zealand and probably for me, having come from the World Cup straight back into a Chiefs' environment, I didn't have an opportunity to get a break so if I am perfectly honest and selfish it was a chance to have a little family time that I hadn't expected," he said.
"I tried to see the positives out of it for me but I understand it has taken a toll on a lot of people and I think we haven't seen the end of that and hopefully we can get things back on track as quickly as we possibly can."
He said he felt the Chiefs had made a good start.
Gatland said it given the intensity of the New Zealand derbies it was likely the team with the least amount of attrition would have the best chance of winning the competition.
"It's going to be exceptionally hard so if you can pick up the least amount of injuries and probably the team that wins the most away games has got a great chance of winning this competition," he said.
Selection rotation and balance would also be critical.
"We all want superstars involved in the game and we want to try and keep our best players playing in New Zealand. I don't see any negatives towards it. He's been a legend of New Zealand rugby," Gatland said.
"It's great for the fans, sponsors, and it's just going to create some interest and I think it's brilliant."
"Dan's been incredibly successful so for him to be able to come back to New Zealand and maybe lace his boots up and get some time for the Blues…I just think it's good," he said.
Gatland said the Chiefs had benefited from Aaron Cruden's involvement with the squad this year and the way he saw things from a different perspective meant younger players experienced an approach they might not otherwise have seen.
Gatland said one positive from the coronavirus pandemic from a rugby perspective was that if there was ever an opportunity to start with a blank sheet of paper now would be the only chance.
"Hopefully, the powers that be can sit down and we can nut out, and there's always got to be some compromise, potentially what would be best for a global season for the good of rugby," he said.
Gatland also supported the trading of ideas between the football codes and said while some new features had been added to rugby, with the golden point from rugby league, he said league had taken some ideas from rugby and he wondered now that the ability to score at the base of the goalposts had been removed it was time to adopt the NFL goalpost.
"We can all benefit and learn from each other," he said.